Bruce Springsteen isn’t backing down from criticizing former President Donald Trump, whom he’s previously described as “incompetent and treasonous.”
Currently touring Europe with the E Street Band on his Land of Hope and Dreams tour, Springsteen told The New York Times that he’s using his concert setlists to comment on what he calls a crisis back home.
“It’s an American tragedy,” Springsteen said in the interview published Wednesday.
He blamed the country’s political turmoil on the decline of American industry and growing wealth inequality, which he says “left so many people behind.”
“It was ripe for a demagogue,” he continued. “And while I can’t believe it was this moron who came along, he fit the bill for some people. What we’ve been living through the past 70 days are the kinds of things we once believed couldn’t happen here. But they are.”
Trump Fires Back
Trump lashed out on Truth Social last month in response to Springsteen’s remarks, mocking the rock legend as “dumb as a rock” and a “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker.” He also bizarrely claimed—without any evidence—that former Vice President Kamala Harris paid Springsteen and other celebrities to support her presidential campaign.
The former president even shared an edited video of himself hitting a golf ball that cuts to a clip of the “ball” striking Springsteen.
Support from Fellow Musicians
Despite the online attacks, Springsteen has received support from fellow artists including Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, and Bono.
Still, the musician remains hopeful. “We have a long democratic history. We don’t have an autocratic one,” he said. “It’s fundamentally democratic, and I believe that at some point that’s going to show itself again. Let’s knock on wood.”
Music as a Message
Springsteen has also been using his music to voice his views. Last month, he released a live EP titled Land of Hope & Dreams that features recordings of two of his fiery anti-Trump speeches and a cover of Bob Dylan’s Chimes of Freedom, a song about standing with the oppressed.
He hadn’t performed that song live since 1988 but has brought it back several times during this year’s tour—a sign, perhaps, of how deeply the moment resonates with him.
As he continues his tour, Springsteen isn’t just playing the hits—he’s sending a message.
